Continentals have always been my go-to for clincher tires. I've never had. Conti flat, ever.
They wear well, I get thousands of miles from a set.
Having praised them (which they deserve) I hate having to mount new ones onto Campagnolo wheels.
I installed these tires (28c) on my 2018 Diamondback Century 1 in early July. This set is my third set of Continental brand tires. I buy these tires due to durability. I ride on some very rough streets here in Memphis and no flats. As with all new tires, it takes a few rides for them to speed up. You will have to air these tires up every few days after first installing them due to expansion. In typical Continental fashion, the last 6 inches is the most difficult to get on the rim. Have a good tire lever or that bike seating tool. The gum wall looks good, too, but not too much on my bike. Overall, I am pleased with these tires and the Continental brand as a whole. Continental is the brand I have had the most durability with.
I still haven't gone tubeless for road tires and GP5000s have been my go-to tires for years. I've occasionally tried something else only to be disappointed in durability and/or cut resistance.
This tire is the worst bicycle part I have ever purchased. Not the worst tire, the worst product. I have never purchased another bicycle part that failed so miserably in it's intended role. I have been riding mountain and road bikes since I was 10 years old in SoCal, I have been through every manufacturer of tire out there, and let me tell you, don't buy the hype when it comes to these tires.
The first tire failed when I ran over a small piece of plastic within 20 miles of installation, the kind of thing that I saw on the road but never even considered steering around based on thousands of miles of experience with other tires. Since that moment, when the tire was completely destroyed in an instant, the tires have gone through an endless cycle of flats and failures, the failures always seem to occur on the other tire, the one that I had not just replaced, so it has been hard to throw out the set for a better option when I had just paid to replace the twin. Let me tell you, I should have thrown them both out at that first failure, the tires have left me on the side of the road with flats based on items I pulled out and crushed between my fingers countless times.
At least 10 times the number of flats and failures with these tires vs. any other tire I have used in the past. To make matters worse, they are extremely tight on the rim and horrible to remove and install, at least on Mavic Ksyriums. When I first installed these I was surprised at how soft the durometer of the rubber felt compared to the tire I had just removed, I think that may be a part of why they attract flats and destroy themselves on small objects so often. You may be wondering if this is real because it doesn't say verified purchase. I bought these at a major bike retailer with tires in the name and am so fed up with the performance of this product that I am posting my review of it anywhere I can. I have never been inspired to do something like that before. Continental should be ashamed of themselves for selling this product.
I made this mistake and wrote this so you don't have to. Don't do it!
I have the 700x32. I have them on an old Surly Pacer (Fatties Fit Fine). It is funny that back then this was a HUGE tire. I dont have much experience on wet roads but really nice on dry roads, I am getting the same tire on me new bike (tubeless). I have not tried a lot of different tires so it is hard for me to compare to others.
I've been using these tires for training and racing, and I've had excellent results in various situations - from chip to asphalt to cement, very straight or technical courses. They feel secure in the turns, and are extremely comfortable even in long rides >100mi.
I wanted to move from 25mm to 28mm tires for my road bike, so I stayed with Continentals. The ride is smoother and offers better traction in wet and dry conditions.
I installed a pair of the Grand Prix 5000's for my four man team's (https://www.teamsuicideprevention.com) 930 mile Race Across The West event. This is a team time trial type event with at least one rider on the road from Oceanside, California to Durango Colorado riding day and night across the deserts and mountains on the route. Crap happens. About 200 miles into the race during one of my pulls, I ran over a strip of a wood pallet on a desert section and a 1" long staple went clear through the tire. The amazing thing about the Grand Prix is that in my haste to keep moving, I quickly put a new tube in and aired up the tire and went on to finish my pull. I went on to ride to the finish with that same tire. I think that is incredible. I did have a spare Grand Prix tire but didn't have to use even after that significant "flatting" event. We finished the race in 2d 14h 46m. I'm sticking with my Grand Prix 5000's
GP 5000 tires are my go to tire.
Lately my purchases are 30 and 32 mm both used for road riding.
They seem to me no different in speed vs a 25mm tire. Granted nothing to prove this.
On really poor surfaces the 32mm at lower pressure allow you to hold your speed better.
I find my rear tire wears a little faster so I buy in 3s vs by the pair.
I run both the TR and non TR versions on different wheelsets.
After years of running GP4000s and thousands and thousands of miles with only 2 flats, I opted to move to the 5000s this year and forego gatorskins (also a nice tire). I am running 28mm on both the tubeless and tubed tires and they stick amazing in corners, brake better than the 4000s and have very little road noise. They met my expectations and I can happily say they feel a bit better than the 4000s they replaced.
I have also run the Enve SES tire in a 27mm. For comparisons, they SES is more 'V' shaped and falls into corners. The 5000s are more round and allow you to incrementally drop the bike into a corner more consistently. The SES is also a great tire, but the 5000s are my choice moving forward.
I think the regular 5000s are a great value. The TRs are a bit pricey for a tire, but if you need tubeless, you are stuck.
I'm only giving this tire 4 stars because they were a bear to mount on my daughter's Mavic Cosmic wheels. Just for reference we bought the 25s. I'm not sure if the larger 28s would be any easier but I kind of doubt it. She's good at changing flats (especially for a 14 year old) on the road but if she does gets one either I'll have to come change it or she'll need help from someone fairly strong.
After struggling for a bit and almost breaking my tire spoon I ended up attempting to prestretch them by pulling as hard a I could with my feet and hands for about 10 minutes. Only then could I mount them with a tire spoon. Usually I can get other non-tubeless tires mounted by hand.
She's got about 200 miles on them so far and enjoys the ride quality and grip.
With any luck these will last the spring and summer CRIT season.
First a reminder: With wide rims the norm, conti resized the GP5k to be the width it now appears on ON THE RIM. So your GP5k in 28 is the width of your old GP4K in 25 when it's mounted. Second, there is a bit less tread there- something like .2mm. So obviously the tire is really no lighter than the 4K in the same ACTUAL size. Still, I went ahead and replaced one of my GP4ks in 25 with a 5k in 25. I've ridden it through some pretty bad debris-on-highway-shoulders so far and durability has been great. I'm impressed by anyone getting over 2000 miles out of any tire. I don't try. The 4K would always flatten (wear down) at the top of the tread well before the wear indicator got anywhere near replacement depth and that's when I have problems so I replace early. I thought I'd give up some cornering prowess with the smaller size but didn't notice that either. Race last weekend revealed this to be a fast predictable tire, just like the 4K. No complaints, I'm buying more.
After doing the tubless scenario I went back to my roots a roll with clichers again. If you run 80+ psi. on your setup you won't be disappointed. Much better tread-life than most. 3,000+ miles is about my average before having to replace them. BTW, they Roll Fast Too!
Great ride with lower tire pressure, more comfortable.
Plus or minus 10 lbs of pressure for gravel or road, great traction.
Got the 25mm pair, not as light, around 260g each on my scale
mounted to 21 internal rim without tools
Measured 27mm with 85psi and tpu tubes
I think it is really faster, I broke my local bench mark 3mile climb PR by 8sec recently
This is my 3rd set of tires. The first set lasted 2700 miles. The 2nd set is in process and I expect to get the same mileage. They are fast and handle well under dry or wet conditions. They are the best.
Very satisfied with the GP 5000. This is to replace the old one, which has provided excellent service and life. Highly recommended if you're looking for an everyday high quality tire!
This tire has performed like a champ and is my go-to set of skins. Instills confidence on the straightaways and in the corners.
I had been searching for a tire that would not get punctures when I rode vaguely near some piece of detritus with an edge or a point. I had tried other highly rated tires but with no success. The Continental Grand Prix 4K & now 5K do the trick. I imagine they are heavier than some but I can live with that. They are a bit pricey, but since I have to replace them less often, I'm probably not actually spending more. I certainly get a lot fewer flats which makes riding far more fun. As long as Continental keeps up the quality, I'll keep buying them.
Like many, I used the 4000s II for years and loved them. This newer version has less tread thickness and costs more. I bought them based on my experience with the previous model, but cannot recommend them due to changes in manufacturing and the price. There are more 700C sizes available in this model and the graphics are smaller and more appealing to me. It is still a good tire but Continental has not advanced the model technologically as much as the introduction of Black Chili compound did years ago.
